- TikTok could close its app for US users on Sunday, January 19
- New Report Suggests TikTok App Will Show Ban Message Pop-Up
- This would be more drastic and immediate than previously thought.
The clock is ticking on TikTok’s proposed US ban, and a new report suggests the social media giant plans to immediately shut down the app to its 170 million US users this Sunday, January 19, unless the Supreme Court takes action. measures to block the ban.
According to PakGazette, TikTok actually plans to go beyond the actions provided for by law. The ban would only affect new TikTok downloads on iOS and Android, meaning fans could continue using existing installations. But it seems that TikTok could go further and completely close its application in the United States as of Sunday.
How would I do this? According to PakGazette sources, anyone who tries to open the app in the US “will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban.” This will presumably prevent American fans from using the app right away, which would mean the ban could have a more drastic impact than initially thought.
While the move may seem strange in theory, there is a potential motivation behind it: as PakGazette reports, “if the ban is later reversed, TikTok could restore service to US users in a relatively short time.”
So how should you prepare for the impending TikTok ban? Here you’ll find everything you need to know in one handy place.
Is TikTok really being banned in the United States?
Yes. At the time of writing, TikTok will be banned in the United States starting January 19, unless the Supreme Court intervenes and declares the ban unconstitutional.
If that doesn’t happen, new users won’t be able to install the app in the US and existing users won’t be able to update the app through their phone’s app store. There are also rumors that US users will see a pop-up message in the app starting January 19, preventing them from watching videos and directing them to more information about the ban.
This means that you won’t be able to access any content in the app, even if you still have it installed, unless you use a service like one of the best VPNs to set your location somewhere outside of the US.
Will the TikTok ban be delayed?
We are still waiting for the US Supreme Court’s ruling on whether the TikTok ban should be delayed or allowed to take effect starting January 19; That decision could be made at any time.
The ban goes into effect just one day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. In December, Trump urged the US Supreme Court to delay banning TikTok while he worked on a “political resolution.”
Trump would not have the power to repeal the law, but the Justice Department would not be able to enforce it either. Recently, Senator Edward Markey said he also planned to introduce a bill to delay the TikTok ban deadline.
As things stand, there will be no delays in banning TikTok unless the US Supreme Court does a 180-degree turn. Even if the Supreme Court doesn’t lift the ban, Trump could still undo it later, which is perhaps what TikTok owner ByteDance is now banking on.
How will the TikTok ban affect you?
If recent rumors are true, the TikTok ban could be more immediate and drastic than we initially thought. Initially, it seemed that a US ban would simply involve the Apple App Store and Google Play Store blocking downloads in the region, which would have left existing ones free to continue using them for a while.
However, according to PakGazette, TikTok plans to immediately shut down the app to all US users starting Sunday, January 19, if the ban remains in place. Apparently it will do this through a pop-up message in the application.
The report adds that the app’s owner, ByteDance, also plans to give you the “option to download all your data so they can take a record of your personal information.”
Since TikTok is no longer available on app stores, the app would not be able to get updates, which would mean bigger bugs and security loopholes that hackers could exploit.
In theory, you may be able to use one of the best VPNs to get around the TikTok ban, although this is far from foolproof, and you may still see a screen saying the app is not available in the country.
That’s why many TikTok users have been looking for alternatives like RedNote, which, ironically, is another Chinese app.
What are the alternatives to TikTok?
With TikTok’s ban imminent, many #TikTokRefugees are looking for alternatives, even if nothing can exactly take its place.
RedNote and Lemon8 are quickly climbing the App Store charts. The problem with the latter is that it is also owned by ByteDance, so it could also be part of the ban conversation.
We tested RedNote, and while it works very similarly to TikTok, we also came to the conclusion that “there’s nothing remotely American about this app or the company that runs it, Xingi.”
The app could be a temporary lifeline, but ultimately the biggest beneficiaries of this mess could be Instagram and YouTube, whose Reels and Shorts features were created to compete with TikTok.
Are Elon Musk or Mr Beast going to buy TikTok?
In recent days, Bloomberg reported that ByteDance was weighing a possible sale of TikTok to Elon Musk, but this appears to have now been dismissed as “pure fiction” by TikTok’s owner.
Naturally, some more extravagant potential suitors have thrown their hats in the ring. YouTuber Mr Beast joked “okay, I’ll buy Tik Tok [sic] so it doesn’t get banned,” and then continued with, “ironically, a lot of billionaires have approached me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can make it happen.”
While Mr Beast has over 100 million followers on TikTok, this still seems like something that should be put alongside the Elon Musk rumors as “highly unlikely.”
On the other hand, it’s difficult to predict exactly what turns the TikTok ban debacle will take in the coming days.
